A Man's World? The Descriptive Representation of Women Inside Europarties

Abstract

Men are over-represented in the majority of national political parties. This article makes a significant contribution to the analysis of women's representation inside ‘Europarties’ that operate at the European level. It draws on new data, including interviews with Europarties' representatives. We focus on women's representation in party leadership positions, including Spitzenkandidat:innen. We show that more women have become part of Europarties' leaderships in recent years, but that overall, men remain over-represented, especially in right-wing parties. We explain this development by focusing on the role of gender quotas and women's organisations in enhancing women's representation. Whereas gender quotas have increased women's presence in leadership bodies, women's organisations have not. Drawing on feminist institutionalism, we also analyse some of the informal norms and practices that have (dis)empowered women. We argue that without statutory gender quotas for governing bodies, as well as formal and transparent decision-making processes, women risk being excluded from leadership positions.